arose; which was the frequent occasion of much noise and confusion. The reason for this usage in relation to the gospels is given by Chrysostom as follows: "If the letters of a king are read in the theatre with great silence, much more ought we to compose ourselves, and reverently to arise and listen when the letters, not of an earthly king, but of the Lord of angels are read to us.”7

Jerome is the first who mentions the custom of burning lighted eandles in the Eastern church, though not in the Western, when the gospels were read. But all antiquity offers no other authority for this senseless superstition.

5. OF THE PSalter.

The use of the psalter as a system of psalmody is an imitation of the synagogue and temple service. The usage is of great antiquity, and very general, both in the ancient and modern church. But the psalter also partook very much of the character of a symbolical book, and constituted an essential part of the liturgy of the church. It contains appropriate lessons for reading, and religious formularies, suited to the capacities of the youth and of the people generally. These, the clergy were required to commit to memory, and to explain.' Such indeed was the consideration in which it was held, that it was styled the Bible in miniature, a manual of all sacred things, and a representative of the sacred Scriptures. Even in the dark ages, when men were denied the use of the Bible, the psalter was allowed to the laity generally.3

2

The psalms were very early introduced as a constituent part of religious worship, and were variously numbered and divided; sometimes into five books, corresponding to the books of Moses; and again they were arranged in different classes according to their character, as Hallelujah, Baptismal, Penitential Psalms, and many others.

6. OF THE PERICOPAE.

It has been before remarked that particular lessons were set apart from the gospels and epistles to be read on certain sabbaths and special festive occasions. The custom was derived from the Jews, who were accustomed to read different portions of their Scriptures on

their several festivals. of the New Testament were denominated Pericopae. When these selections were first made, is a question on which the learned are greatly divided. Some contending that they are of apostolic origin; others, that they originated in the fourth century; and others again, date them back no farther than the eighth century. For a discussion of these several theories, the reader is referred to the author, and the authorities quoted by him.

These specific selections from the writings

[One end to be answered by making these extracts, was no doubt to assist those who had not free access to the Scriptures in learning the substance of what the Scriptures teach. Nothing in the history of the primitive Christians is more worthy of admiration than their profound reverence for the word of God, their diligence in reading the sacred Scriptures, and their surprising familiarity with truths of revelation. "At a time when the copies of the sacred volume were all in manuscript, and very scarce,-being so dear as to be beyond the reach of many to purchase, and when multitudes of those who had been converted to Christianity were unacquainted with the first elements of reading, the great majority of them were conversant with the phraseology and the matter of the Word of life, to a degree that may well put Christians of later days to shame. Those of the men who could read, never went abroad without carrying a Bible in their pockets-while the women wore it hanging about their necks, and by frequently refreshing their memories by private perusal, and drawing little groups of anxious listeners around them, they acquired so familiar an acquaintance with the lively oracles, that there were few who could not repeat those passages that contained anything remarkable respecting the doctrines of their faith, or the precepts of their duty. Nay, there were many who had made the rare and enviable attainment of being able to say the entire Scriptures by heart. One person is mentioned among the martyrs in Palestine, so well instructed in the sacred writings, that, when occasion offered, he could, from memory, repeat passages in any part of the Scripture as exactly as if he had unfolded the book and read them; a second, being unacquainted with letters, used to invite friends and christian strangers to his house to read to him, by which means, he acquired an extensive knowledge of the sacred oracles: and another may be mentioned, of whom the description is so extraordinary, that we shall give it in the words of the historian, Eusebius, who knew him: 'When

ever he willed, he brought forth, as from a repository of science, and rehearsed either the law of Moses, or the prophets, or the historical, evangelical, and apostolical parts of Scripture. Indeed, I was struck with admiration when I first beheld him standing amidst a considerable multitude, and reciting certain portions of holy writ. As long as I could only hear his voice, I supposed that he was reading; but when I came close up to him, I discovered that, employing only the eyes of his mind, he uttered the divine oracles like some prophet.' -Every day it was the practice for each individual to commit a portion of Scripture to memory, and for the members of a family to repeat it to each other in the evening. So much was this custom regarded as part of the ordinary business of the day, that they had a set time appointed for conning the daily lesson-an hour which, though every individual fixed it as suited his private convenience, was held so precious and sacred, that no secular duties, however urgent, were allowed to infringe upon it; and while some, who had their time at their own disposal, laid their memories under largercontributions, and never relaxed their efforts, till they had completed the daily task they had imposed on themselves, others were obliged to content themselves with such shorter passages as they could learn during the intervals of labor, and amid the distractions of other cares. By all classes, however, it was considered so great an advantageso desirable an attainment to have the memory richly stored with the records of salvation-that while in the lapse of time many ancient practices became obsolete, and others more suited to the taste of succeeding ages were adopted into the Church, this excellent custom still maintained its place among the venerable observances inherited from primitive times; and the pious Christians of the first centuries. would have regarded it as a sin of omission, for which they had occasion expressly to supplicate for pardon in their evening devotions, if they were couscious of having allowed a day to pass without having added some new pearls from the Scriptures, to the sacred treasures their memory had previously amassed."

To aid those who could not read, pictures of Scripture scenes were also hung upon the walls. In the idolatrous devotion with which popish superstition bows down before the images and paintings of the sainted dead, the intelligent reader will easily discover only a perversion of the pure intents for which primitive piety first introduced them into the ancient churches.-TR.]

CHAPTER XII.

OF HOMILIES.

1. GENERAL REMARKS, NAMES, ETC.

Every religious discourse, almost without exception, was based on some text, or distinctly related to some passage of Scripture. It aimed at nothing more than to explain and enforce the same. In the Latin church, instances frequently occur of sermons without any text, but they had reference distinctly to the scripture lesson which had just been read, which is sometimes cited, and at others, is passed over in silence. But in either case the discourse is a paraphrase or explanation of the passage in question. A sermon, according to the idea of the ancient church, may be defined to be a rhetorical discourse upon some passage of Scripture, having for its object the spiritual edification of the hearers. It is an exposition and application of Scripture, not merely a religious discourse designed for the instruction of the audience.

This discourse was called by different names, as λóyos, an oration, quilia, a homily. The latter implies a more familiar discourse than the former. When the deacon officiated in the place of the bishop, his discourse was frequently denominated guyua. It was also styled διδασκαλία, ἐξηγήσις, ἔκθεσις, etc. In the Latin church it was styled tractatus, disputatio, allocutio.

The modern divisions and parts of a sermon, such as the introduction, the proposition, the illustration and application, were totally unknown, in form, to the ancient fathers. The strife then was, as Gregory Nazianzen justly observes, not about terms, but doctrines.

Mosheim asserts that the sermon was not at first a necessary part of religious worship. In answer to this absurd hypothesis it must be admitted that the discourses of Christ and his apostles were not indeed homilies like those of Chrysostom and Augustine, but they resemble these much more than they do the catechetical instructions of Cyril and Gregory Nazianzen, to say nothing of our Lord's sermon on the mount, which may truly be regarded as a pattern for a

formal discourse. The same may also be said of most of the discourses of Peter and Paul, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

We may also, with propriety, refer to all those passages which relate to the usage of Jewish worship in their synagogues, according to which that portion of Scripture which had been read was made the subject of discourse. Luke 4: 16. Matt. 4: 23. 13: 54. Acts 13: 15-27. 15: 21. 2 Cor. 3: 15, etc. From all which it appears that a discourse based on the Scriptures was an essential part of the worship of the Jews. The first instance of this on record is in the eighth chapter of Nehemiah. The homilies of the christian church were only an imitation of these discourses in the synagogue, from which they were derived. The discourses of the apostles were either based on some specific portions of Scripture, or else they were an abstract of sacred history. Instances of the former class are found in Acts 1: 15. 2: 14-36. Of the latter, Acts 7: 2-53. 17: 22—31. Acts xxii. and xxiii.

For further illustration we may refer to 2 Tim. 3: 14-17, and to the miraculous gift of prophesying, i. e. of teaching which are mentioned in 1 Cor. 12: 28, 29. Eph. 4: 11. The churches, to whom the apostles addressed their epistles, were required to have them read in public, accompanied, no doubt, with suitable explanations and applications, Col. 4: 16. 1 Thess. 5: 27. 2 Pet. 3: 15, 16.

Justin Martyr expressly asserts, that "certain selections from the prophets and memoirs of the apostles were not only read, but explained and enforced." By the prophets and memoirs, he evidently means the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. "After the reading is ended the minister of the assembly (the bishop) makes an address in which he admonishes and exhorts the people to imitate the virtues which it enjoins."2

So also Tertullian, in the second century. "We come together to acquaint ourselves with the sacred Scriptures, and to hear what, according to the circumstances of the present time, may be applicable to us either now, or at any future time. At least we establish our faith-we encourage our hope, we assure our confidence, and, by the injunctions of the divine word, we make its life-giving power efficacious to our hearts. We admonish and reprove one another, and give ourselves up to the teachings of the divine word. And this word of God has the greater weight because it is believed by all to reflect the image of God."3 Who can doubt that this extract de